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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28486884">Fall Apart Without Me, Body</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxxbookaholic/pseuds/xxxbookaholic'>xxxbookaholic</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, M/M, Nostalgia, Post-Game(s), Spoilers, but its written as romantic, but only kind of, can be seen as platonic or romantic, kind of</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:14:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,212</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28486884</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxxbookaholic/pseuds/xxxbookaholic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which the earth was really destroyed and Kokichi and Shuichi are the only survivors, destined to float alone in space until their death days.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Oma Kokichi &amp; Saihara Shuichi, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fall Apart Without Me, Body</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>T/W: self-harm is briefly mentioned. it isn't even stated to be self-harm but it kind of is so just be careful. This fic also describes a feeling of helplessness.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>   Some part of Shuichi still refused to believe that this was where he’d live out the rest of his days. That insufferable, irritable part of him insisted that if he were to just open the door, he’d be met with skyscrapers and people.</p>
<p>   Unfortunately, the windows that showcased nothing but empty darkness said otherwise.</p>
<p>   Ever since the killing game had ended, the illusion that he was in a giant school had broken, leaving him to curl up between gray, metal walls and wonder if this was really where he’d been for all those months. The nights that he spent exercising outside with Kaito, the times he listened to Kaede play the piano… Those memories were nothing more than a shattered hallucination.</p>
<p>   Once upon a time, he had dreamed of escaping the jail cell that was Monokuma’s academy and walking the streets of Tokyo with all of his friends, closer than they ever had been before. Now, his dreams were nothing but white noise.</p>
<p>   There was no beginning, no end. The sun didn’t rise, nor did the moon fall. Rather, Shuichi just sat down on the floor and picked at a bagel, eyeing the stars that twinkled outside of his ship.</p>
<p>   Kokichi hadn’t come out of his room yet. In fact, he rarely ever did anymore. The air that used to be filled with snickering and jokes was now silent. Not a peep came from the former Supreme Leader. Just grumbling and tired insults, if he spoke at all.</p>
<p>   Shuichi stood up, leaving what was supposed to be his breakfast untouched. Like he did every day, he made his way to the bridge, stumbling over nails and blank journals. The door was heavy, but thanks to all those pushups he'd been forced into doing, shoving it open was a piece of cake. Inside were a bunch of control panels. They lined a large window that sat directly in the center, displaying an array of twinkling stars and blended colors.</p>
<p>   He stared out at the familiar sight. Maybe at first he was impressed, but now it just survived as a reminder that nothing ever changed on that ship. Not even his feelings.</p>
<p>   There was a hole where Shuichi’s heart should be, leaving him to wonder if there was a flashback light that he had missed in his investigation. It wouldn’t be a surprise. After all, there were a lot of things he’d missed back then. Whether it be Kokichi’s ulterior motives, Kaede’s murder plan, or even the passageway in the girl’s bathroom, it felt like he was always one step behind.</p>
<p>   As a detective, he could only help after the disaster had always happened. He couldn’t prevent anything; could only fix what was already done. If you could count condemning his friends to brutal executions and tearful reunions a ‘solution’, that is.</p>
<p>   He was vaguely aware of the door opening and shutting behind him. From the corner of his eye, he saw a figure come to stand beside him, but he said nothing. There was no cheerful, “<em>good morning, Saihara-chan</em>!”, no, “<em>have you already eaten breakfast, Mr. Detective</em>?” Because, in the end, how were they supposed to know it was morning in the first place?</p>
<p>   For all they knew, it was currently six in the afternoon and the sun was already high over the clouds.</p>
<p>   Just the thought made goosebumps run down his arms.</p>
<p>   There was a sign, and then the only voice that he ever heard besides his own asked, “you’re back here again?”</p>
<p>   Shuichi just hummed in response, digging his nails into his wrist. The pain was grounding; it reminded him that even all the way up there, floating lightyears away from his uncle’s rundown detective agency, he was still human. He felt pain, just as he felt joy.</p>
<p>   “You know,” Kokichi said, the teasing lilt they both used to be used to nowhere to be seen, “it isn’t going to change. We’re stuck here. Surely you realize that, Shumai?”</p>
<p>   “I know,” Shuichi muttered, taking a step back and leaning on the wall.</p>
<p>   They went silent again after that, the only sound being steady breathing and the ticking of what Shuichi hoped was a timebomb. After a second, Kokichi tapped his arm lightly. Shuichi wasn’t sure who that action was supposed to comfort, and he didn’t know if his friend did, either. (Could they even be called friends? They were more like partners at that point, destined to live out the rest of their lives together. The term just sounded too romantic for him to say out loud. There was nothing romantic about their situation.)</p>
<p>    “If you know, then why do you torture yourself like this? Why do you think I stay in my room all the time?”</p>
<p>   Shuichi furrowed his eyebrows, casting his gaze to the floor. “Because you don’t want to see me?” He guessed despite already knowing the answer. Perhaps he really hadn’t gotten better at facing the truth, even after all that time.</p>
<p>   “Because I don’t want to be reminded of everything I can no longer do. Everybody is dead. Not just Kaede and Kiibo, Shuichi. <em>Everybody</em>. We’re alone and there’s nothing we can do about it. Just give up.”</p>
<p>   If they were in the middle of a class trial, Shuichi would have refuted him. He would have insisted that there was always hope, that they couldn’t give into Tsumugi Shirogane’s despair.</p>
<p>   Except they weren’t in the middle of a class trial, so he held his tongue and nodded. “I guess you’re right.” Finally, he turned around and held the door open. “Are you coming?”</p>
<p>   Kokichi didn’t ask where they were going. He didn’t remind him that they couldn’t exactly take a walk outside in their current predicament. Instead, he just stepped through the door and collapsed on the cold flooring, cheek resting on the ground. “Hey, Shumai.”</p>
<p>   “Yeah?”</p>
<p>   “What would you be doing right now if the world hadn’t ended?”</p>
<p>   Shuichi sat down next to him, drawing his knees up to his chest. “I’d probably be looking through a case file and trying not to puke at a snapped neck. What about you?”</p>
<p>   “I’d be stealing a dog and sipping grape Panta on a throne,” he replied completely seriously, shutting his eyes.</p>
<p>   Shuichi laughed, this time genuinely, and rested his hand in Kokichi’s hair without another thought. “I’d love to see that.”</p>
<p>   “I’m sure my loyal 10,000 followers would, too,” Kokichi mumbled, leaning into the former detective’s hand. Despite how exhausted he sounded, his movements were precise, as if each and every one of them were pre-planned out.</p>
<p>   There was no room for hope in Shuichi’s heart. He’d seen enough of that to last a lifetime, and he no longer wanted anything to do with it. Hope had let him down too many times; hope that he’d escape, hope that the killing game would never start, hope that help would come to rescue him. In that moment, however, Shuichi wished for nothing more than for Kokichi to take the hand he had reached out oh so long ago.</p>
<p>   They had nothing but time to waste, so maybe Kokichi could finally open his heart, and in turn, Shuichi would try his best to do the same. (If he even had a heart at all anymore, that was.)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know this is short but I hope you enjoyed it anyways! I got this idea while brainstorming and just couldn't stop thinking about it. The way Shuichi reacted to discovering the "truth" of the world was really heartbreaking but also realistic for his situation. Just imagine having to watch your friends death and constantly talking about escaping/hope only to learn that there's no point in even trying. It's like a harsh reality check. <br/>In this universe, I think that Shuichi would have apologized to Kokichi for constantly shutting him out but in the end, Kokichi wouldn't care either way. To him, it doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore. They're in a hunk of metal floating thousands of miles away from home, so what does one person's regret matter? <br/>He still forgives him, though, and they resign themselves to live their lives out together forever.<br/>Please leave a comment + kudos if you get the chance! It really encourages me! My tumblr is xxxbookaholic if you're interested.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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